In a revealing interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, President Joe Biden exhibited confusion over significant personal and political dates, including the year of his son Beau Biden’s death and the year Donald Trump was elected president. The transcript from the October interview, part of an investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, shows Biden grappling with the timeline surrounding his vice presidency’s end and subsequent events.
During the interview, Biden attempted to contextualize his management of sensitive papers by referencing his son Beau, who passed away in 2015, mistakenly suggesting that these events occurred after he left office in 2017. This misstatement led to a correction by his legal team, reminding him that Beau died in 2015. Biden’s confusion extended to Trump’s election year, which he incorrectly thought was November 2017, instead of 2016.
Biden’s memory lapses were not limited to dates. He also struggled to recall the term “fax machine” during the discussion, needing prompts from his staff to jog his memory. Additionally, Biden could not remember the National Archives’ name, the agency responsible for handling classified documents from former presidents and vice presidents.
These moments of forgetfulness have sparked discussions about Biden’s memory and attention to detail, especially concerning classified material’s handling. Despite these lapses, Biden’s legal team has defended his actions, emphasizing his long-standing commitment to public service and the complexities of managing a vast amount of information over a distinguished career.
The interview’s revelations come at a time when Biden’s retention of classified documents has been under scrutiny, with Special Counsel Hur ultimately deciding not to recommend charges against the president. Hur’s report suggested that Biden might be perceived by a jury as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” a characterization that has fueled further debate about the investigation’s outcome and Biden’s capacity for office.
As the discussion around Biden’s interview and the broader investigation continues, the focus remains on the balance between accountability for handling sensitive information and the challenges of public service at the highest levels.